Hobbs & Shaw 2 is currently in development and there are lots of different directions the movie could take. One possible angle would involve making Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) a villain once again. But is this really necessary or should he just remain good?
Shaw made a grand entrance into the Fast & Furious franchise when he 'killed' favorite character Han. He then went after Dominic Toretto and his family before deciding to work with them. He also had such good chemistry with Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) that a spin-off was born. But is he really better as good guy? Here's an argument for both sides of the coin.
Villain: 'Hobbs Vs Shaw' Sounds Exciting
"You thought we were brothers, Hobbs? I only had one brother, and he died a long time ago." This might be a good line for Shaw to say to Hobbs when he betrays him. It would be a shocking moment if Shaw goes bad once again, just when Hobbs was beginning to think they were buddies.
Instead of bringing another genetically and technologically modified villain (yawn!), the sequel can have Hobbs as the protagonist and Shaw as the antagonist. And what if it was revealed that Shaw was an agent of Eteon, the organization that created Brixton Lore (Idris Elba)?
Good Guy: Comedic Relief
At some point, Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw almost turned the Fast & Furious franchise into a buddy comedy.It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Audiences loved every minute that the muscled men made fun of each other. And in Hobbs & Shaw, they pumped up the humor to even greater levels.
If Shaw is to turn heel, these hilarious exchanges will no longer happen. All they'll want to do is kill each other. The fights and races have already happened so many times. Witty dialogue is needed as well, and for that reason, Shaw ought to remain good.
Villain: Memorable Fights With The Antagonists
The Fast & Furious franchise has had some incredible fight scenes and two of the best ones came when Shaw was a villain. His duel with Hobbs at the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) office in Furious 7 was a moment worth rewinding again and again.
Then there was his duel with Dom when the two drove at high speed towards each other and collided head-on before coming out to fight. It was a cheesy moment but it was quite incredible. More of such moments can only happen if Shaw is a villain.
Good Guy: Han Might Still Be Alive After All
The major reason why Deckard Shaw was set up as a villain was to avenge his brother's death. At the end of Fast & Furious 6. he broadsided Han with his Mercedes S-Class and appeared to have killed him as part of his revenge plot. However, Han appeared in the latest trailer for Fast & Furious 9, meaning he might still be alive.
If Shaw really spared Han, then this erases his biggest 'sins.' Shaw is also in very good terms with Hobbs and Dom now. He is basically in good terms with all of Dom's 'family' so there might be no need for him to turn against them.
Villain: He Still Has To Pay For Some Other Sins
As a villain, Shaw did plenty of damage. Even if we take away the Han incident, we cannot forget the fact that he tore apart a hospital and killed plenty of innocent people just to see his comatose brother. It would only make sense if he is made to pay at some point.
Being made to pay doesn't mean he'll entertain the idea. A good way for Shaw to turn heel again would be for him to fight back against the people who want to get justice by putting him behind bars. He could escape prison or simply do a John Rambo and obliterate the FBI, Interpol and any other form of law enforcement that goes after him.
Good Guy: Jason Statham Doesn't Like Playing Bad Guys
Jason Statham is more keen on playing heroes just like his friend Sylvester Stallone did so often rather than villains. Producer and screenwriter Chris Morgan once told Vulture: "When we pitched Jason on coming in at the end of Fast 6, he was concerned about playing a bad guy.”
And in a different interview during the London press address for Hobbs & Shaw, Statham insisted that he doesn't see Shaw as a villain. Clearly, the man wants to beat up evil humans, not be one of them, so there is no need to make him bad again.
Villain: The Numbers Tell The Whole Story
The numbers prove that people prefer seeing Deckard Shaw as a villain more than a hero. Furious 7 in which Shaw was the antagonist grossed $1.5 billion at the box office. In comparison, Hobbs & Shaw had a worldwide gross of $760 million. There's a message there from the audience.
Maybe fans just like a Shaw that blows up hospitals, sends bombs via the mail and rams into other cars with his own like he's Stuntman Mike in Quentin Tarantino's horror film Death Proof. That's food for through for the screenwriters.
Good Guy: To Maintain His Good Relationship With His Mom
Mama knows best! in Fate Of The Furious, Shaw’s likable mom, played by Helen Mirren was instrumental in persuading him to join team up with Dom and family so that he could help destroy the common enemy known as Cipher.
Despite the fact that Shaw is doing his own thing with Hobbs now, it can't be argued that Cipher is no longer his problem. Cipher is still running around and she messed with his family in a major way. To ensure she is defeated, he has to remain good. And to ensure he doesn't disobey his mom, he has to remain good too.
Villain: To Make Cipher Appear Stronger
Part of the reason why Shaw turned nice was the discovery that Cipher (Charlize Theron) manipulated both him and his brother Owen. Recently, Cipher has been portrayed as the overarching villain of the Fast & Furious franchise. She's like the Joker in Batman's world or Blofeld in James Bond's world.
This means that she can't be killed off. She has to be made to appear stronger at all times. One of the ways that can happen is to make her get to Shaw's head once again. This could happen through blackmail or due to a fake discovery engineered by Cipher that proves either Hobbs or Dom wanted to kill him.
Good: Shaw Was Never Really A Bad Guy
During one of the confrontations between Deckard Shaw and Brixton, it was revealed that Shaw had been framed for many crimes that he didn’t actually commit. Both Shaw and Brixton worked for MI6 before Brixton was recruited by Etheon, a tech organization that's good at framing people for stuff they didn’t do.
They even framed him for the murder of the entire team. Shaw's sister Hattie (Vanessa Kirby) even realizes that her brother was not as bad as she thought. And about the Han incident, it can be argued that Shaw was just doing what needed to be done.